Washington: US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton has expressed alarm over the increasing instances of
self-immolation by Tibetans and asked China to respect the
human rights of its people.
"We are alarmed by recent incidents in Tibet of young
people lighting themselves on fire in desperate acts of
protest, as well as the continued house arrest of the Chinese
lawyer Chen Guangcheng," Hillary said in her remarks at the
East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii; an eminent American
think-tank.
"We continue to call on China to embrace a different
path," Hillary said
So far about a dozen people have self-immolated in Tibet
in recent weeks.
"We have made very clear our serious concerns about
China's record on human rights. When we see reports of
lawyers, artists, and others who are detained or disappeared,
the United States speaks up both publicly and privately," she
said.
Hillary said the US remains committed to the One-China
policy and the preservation of peace and stability across the
Taiwan Strait.
"We have a strong relationship with Taiwan, an important
security and economic partner, and we applaud the progress
that we have seen in cross-Strait relations between China and
Taiwan during the past three years and we look forward to
continued improvement so there can be peaceful resolution of
their differences," she said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, November 11, 2011, 10:15